At first, the Cygnet will be offered only to existing Aston Martin customers at a price of about $33,000. Only time will tell if they’ll make them available to the public. The iQ, though, should make it to the U.S. as a Scion in late 2010, as a 2011 model.

I still think the iQ and Cygnet are just too small for the United States, but this comment from reader Jerry Zabin and others like it are pretty convincing:

I just returned from Berlin and I saw the Toyota IQ up close. LOVE IT!!! If this car becomes available in the U.S., I am a definite buyer! Gas prices continue to rise and this car would fit the bill. With US carmakers in peril, it is no wonder…the day of the gas guzzler has passed! In Berlin, gas is nearly $5.25/gallon and you rarely see large cars on the road. Let’s get with it America….conservation is no longer optional, it is necessary. The Toyota IQ fits the bill!

If you’re like me, you’ll take Aston Martin’s endorsement of the iQ to heart. Maybe there’s something to this small-car thing after all.

2 Comments

Like all things, the American public will need some time to get used to ‘miniscule’ cars. I can assure you that when the majority of cars on the road are this size, they will not only look ‘normal’, but there will be lively debate over the difference 4 hp makes, or that extra .6 CF storage area. In countries where these types of cars are standard, no one seems to mind. Remember also that although we are currently paying less than $4.00 per gallon, if we can drive the same distance on 4 fewer gallons, isn’t that still signifigant? The key to making these size cars acceptable is to get the larger (2 ton+) vehicles off the parkways. Yes, I am talking about SUVs and large vans. Their poor road handling and visibility issues make them incompatible with safe driving for smaller vehicles. Getting them off the parkways is a start. Let the flames begin.